


where are you looking at?

by procrasteanate



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Killing, Lowercase, M/M, Murderers, Non-Graphic Violence, Serial Killers, Short Story, Suicide Squad, because i can't write those, but not really, chan makes an appearance at the last chapter, everyone in ateez are part of the police except for wooyoung, hongho if you squint, i wrote this at 12am, joker!san, lapslock, once again this is a self indulgent fic, san hates hongjoong, san holds grudges, san is a police, seonghwa is dead im sorry, wooyoung is harley quinn, yeosan if you squint, yes bang chan, yes theres no angst this time okay, yes this was for my guilty pleasure if it wasnt obvious enough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:34:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23773165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/procrasteanate/pseuds/procrasteanate
Summary: insanity looks good on wooyoung, but it looks better on the one and only (now ex) chief of seoul's police department- choi san.
Relationships: Choi San & Jung Wooyoung, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung
Comments: 6
Kudos: 78





	1. chief

**Author's Note:**

> hi i'm back again!! not @ how i just finished howl on you two days ago and promised myself to stop staying up late to write fics and here i am now with another short  
> story 💀 got this idea while listening to undercover by a.c.e and originally there was a whole other plot but i won't talk about that here :) as usual i hope you enjoy!! kudos and/or comments(especially!! i love comments) are much appreciated so i'd be happy if you guys leave some💖

"this is what we're working on, sir." san fumbled on several files, laying them neatly on the table to the new chief. he looked young, presumeably around his mid twenties- hair a shade of dark azure and slitted eyebrows, a rectangular badge stuck on his uniform- kim hongjoong.

to say he was in a foul mood was an understatement. not only did he not get his deserved promotion but this new 'boss' of his was probably a complete amateur. san was almost sure he got the position through connections but who was he to complain? no one. at the least he was still in charge of these guys he had been working on for months.

"his name is jung wooyoung, twenty-two," san recited, the said man's profile all too familiar to him already, "goes by quinn. charged with third degree murder- manslaughter."

"and why has your team not caught him yet after," the chief flipped through a random file, probably one of the twenty-seven victims of the vicious killings, "three months?"

san clenched his fist, trying to stay calm despite the fact that he's close to punching the man before him, "we don't have excuses for that. we're always a step too late. but i'm confident in my team-we just need more time."

"you guys can't even take care of a single psychopath?" he scoffed, massaging his temple, "they really assigned me to the worst team."

san's palm was probably bleeding with how hard his fingers were digging on it. "there's more than one."

"what?" hongjoong arched an eyebrow. "maybe if you read the files properly, you'll understand." san sighed, "the other guy. he works behind the shadows, rarely appears so we've never seen him but quinn refers to him as joker."

"one of us did see him- officer park, on the kumho museum case, but before my team could reach him," san gulped, "he- they were too late. he was found with multiple stab wounds on his whole body, mostly on his face, and a poker card in his mouth- the joker."

"i had personal matters to attend to that day," san bit his lip, "so i had to go to busan. park- no, seonghwa, we had always worked as a duo. i feel like it's my fault such a horrible thing happened to him, just because i couldn't be there to have his back like i usually do."

"i'm sorry for your loss," hongjoong said with tone the least bit sorry, "but i'm taking over this case. your team is making close to no progress on this with your directions."

"NO." san growled, banging his fists on the wooden table, left hand crushing a potted plant instead, glass pieces piercing his skin, "this is MY case and i'm not handing it over to anyone."

hongjoong visibly flinched at the impact as he gulped. "you're not in charge here, choi. i am." he managed to cough out, reminding san of his superiority.

san knew he had no chance over his superiors- afterall, he was just a substitute head until a new chief was assigned, which had happened- to his dismay. he also didn't want to lose his job from beating up an officer, so he opted out that option. 

"a month," san snarled, "give me a month and if we don't catch them, i'll give up the case to you."

"what makes you think i'll agree to that little deal of yours?" hongjoong smirked, amusement painted on his face. oh god, san wanted to wipe it off so bad it hurt. 

"if we don't catch them, i'll leave the team too," san gritted his teeth for the nth time that day his teeth felt like they were falling off.

"but you're a great asset to the team, why would i want you out?"

"cut the crap, kim. you fucking hate me and we've met for what? five minutes? i can already tell you want me gone." san sneered. hongjoong simply hummed in agreement.

"fine. but a month is too long-" "two weeks." san cut off, veins popping on his forehead when siwon simply scoffed.

"one week." hongjoong stated as he stared straight at san's eyes, "i'll give you a week and if you don't catch him, you're done and this case is mine."

"deal."

with that, san stomped off.

"motherfucker. that little fucking bitch-" he cursed under his breath. 

"woah, capt., you ok there?" yunho hollered from his desk, "you look like you just went through shit."

"i did, shut up, and stop calling me that, blueberry head is your captain now," san glared at the mint who just laughed. "you know i like you better, sannie. anyways, better get your hand checked, you're dirtying the carpet, jongho will kill you. i can already hear him nagging."

san hadn't even realised his hand was bleeding that bad, small pieces of glass stuck on them as he cringed, grabbing some ointment and bandages before heading to the toilet.

closing the door behind him, san sighed for the nth time that day, splashing water on his face- the coldness stinging his wounds.

he stared at his reflection, a tired man looking straight back at him, frown looking like it was stitched on him. covering his face, san breathed in, and out, and in again.

his shoulders trembled- his body shaking, almost violently as muffled laughter filled the empty space.

tearing his hands away from his eyes, he sees himself, a little different. a sick grin plastered on his face instead of the frown, his eyes creepily wide- the jet black orbs swirling with a mix of anger and- was that insanity?

"i'm gonna kill him," he muttered, licking the dripping blood from his fist. san's grin grew at the familiar metallic taste.

fishing his phone out, he clicked on a contact, typing in a few words quickly and sending it.

licking the spot of scarlet smudged near his bottom lip, san laughed again. laughter turning into silence as he stared dead at his reflection. right hand pressing on his wounds, burying the glass even deeper.

"i'm going to fucking kill him."


	2. game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i totally drunk-posted this fic yesterday but here's chapter two anyways,, hope you guys enjoy this chapter <33

"cap, we got tip." yeosang announced from the other end of the room, several heads snapping to his direction in unison.

san sauntered over to his cubicle, leaning over yeosang's shoulder. "daelim museum, four pm."

san's eyes landed at the digital clock on the right bottom of the screen, fifty-six past three.

"fuck, gear up. we're getting there in three." san scowled, the whole team chorusing with a 'yes cap'. 

"aren't the cops guys being too hasty with this? you guys are really going around trusting these mysteriously sent emails, without tracking the ip and confirming anything?" hongjoong scoffed from the front of his office.

"last time i checked you weren't in charge of this case, sir." yunho shot back monotously, "we've been in this case long enough to know what to do, sir. now, it's a pleasure to talk to you but we really need to go."

san smirked at the chief's dumbfounded expression- which morph to an irrititated one in record speed.

"you coming or what?" san strapped his pistol, fixing his vest for one last time. hongjoong scowled, trailing behind the team. his ears were practically letting out steam now and san almost- almost, laughed out in glee.

the museum was eerily quiet when the team entered. it's almost as if it was empty, not a single soul in the huge building, if it wasn't for the familiar stench of blood. 

the hallyway was long, several paintings decorating the white walls, doors aligning them.

"remember, we want him alive. split up. chief, you're coming with me," san whispered, his team heeding his orders. hongjoong begrudgingly obliged, the pair creeping to the room at the end of the hallway.

pressing his ear to the door, hongjoong could make out the sound of muffled crying. looking at san, he nodded, wiggling his walkie takie as if trying to tell that he had informed the team. san counted to three, pair barging in to the well-lit room, pistols up, at the last count.

hongjoong gagged at both the foul stench and the scene before him. bodies were strewn all over the white ceramic- now a dark shade of fresh crimson. he counted seven of them, each with the edges of their mouth ripped up to the bottom of their ears.

"this is captain, room at the end of the hallway asap, over." san whispered into his walkie-talkie, 

a woman stood in the middle of the room, her hands in the air and mouth muffled by a cloth tied around her head, whole body shaking. hongjoong rushed to her, untying the cloth as the woman exhaled loudly, clutching on his arms, "BEHIN-"

the knife flew straight to her forehead, terrifyingly precise. her eyes rolled back and she fell over with a loud thud. hongjoong gasped, head and arms snapping to his back.

behind him, right at the corner of the room was a man, blonde hair with strraks of blue and red gelled up and glittery make up caked onto his tan skin. a crop top underneath a red bomber jacket framed his toned body followed by shorts of blue and red.

hongjoong could barely recognise wooyoung- the picture in his profile a total three sixty from the man in front of him now.

"you're a new face," wooyoung- quinn, mused, "must be the kim hongjoong i've been hearing about." he slowly walked towards him.

an invisible question mark formed above his head. someone had been bailing out police infromation? who? 

"come any closer and i'll shoot." hongjoong warned, pointing his gun straight at wooyoung, "it's two to one, you're never going to win."

"oh darling, do you see all this people i've killed?" wooyoung scoffed, "this is such an insult. now i know why joker hates you."

joker knows him?

wooyoung rolled his eyes, staring at the other presence in the room who had been silent the whole ordeal, "sannie, your new boss is so talkative. i'd rather get arrested by you than blueberry over here."

hongjoong gritted his teeth, red clouding his vision as he aimed at wooyoung's left foot and pulled the trigger.

wooyoung fell back, whimpering. "choi, now." hongjoong called out, leaving the finishing touches to his supposed partner.

hongjoong froze when he felt something pressed to the side of his forehead, a familiar click ringing so close to his ears.

wooyoung looked up, sly smirk on his face as he stuck his tongue out, "april fools! you're gun wasn't even loaded, darling." his foot wasn't the least bit scathed.

he was so sure he double checked both in the office and in the car. so how?

the sound of metal hitting the ground behind him broke him from his confusion. bullet barrels, he recognised.

"you're right, chief. it's one to two, you'll never win," san whispered into his ear.

putting one and two together, hongjoong finally realised the situation he was in. mentally laughing at himself. fuck- it wasn't even april.

the last thing he saw before blacking out was san grinning at him so sickly and the faint scent of chloroform.

"this is captain, call for backup. eight victims. room at the end of the hallway," san spoke into his walkie-talkie, "we lost him again."

he could mentally hear his team screaming in frustration, smiling at the thought. how fun.

his body trembled from the feeling bubbling inside him. nothing short of excitement and glee. this whole thing was so fun to him. it's as if this was a game, like chess or monopoly- even a fun old game of uno. a game that san wants to play his whole life, betting everything he has- the thrill riling his whole body up. 

how exciting.

how fun.


	3. sides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a pretty short chapter, sorry!

hongjoong woke up to darkness. his head felt like it was going to split open and he couldn't feel his legs. 

"it's about time you wake up, darling." 

the flipping of a switch was heard as brightness enveloped the room, hongjoong squinting at the sudden exposure. he made out wooyoung, now a lot more underdressed, red hoodie and shorts still- makeup wiped off. if hongjoong didn't know better he would've thought he was a normal college student. "where the fuck am i?" he sneered, scanning the room- probably a basement seeing the lack of windows.

wooyoung simply smiled, playing with his baseball bat, "sannie will be here soon. you can talk to him later. i'm just here to check on you." he turned back, hips swaying to the faint beat of music from upstairs, the door metal door slamming behind him.

the pattering of feet grew faint, signalling that he was no longer there. hongjoong checked the room for any sign of cctvs- none. wiggling his tied hands, which was tied very clumsily, he freed them. untying his boots, he reached down to grab the phone hidden under his sole.

hastily pressing some buttons, he sent a message and put the phone on his back pocket, tying his shoes.

"this is pan. mole found. choi san, seoul department. track this phone, i need backup, now."

"san said he's going to be late," wooyoung barged in again, hongjoong flinching at the sudden intrusion, "he told me to keep an eye on you. man, this sucks." flopping to the spot in front of him, hongjoong spat, "why are you doing this."

wooyoung tilted his head, "do what?"

"kill."

"why?" wooyoung bit his bottom lip, eyes turning into crescent when he thought of the answer.

"because it's fun!"

hongjoong nearly gagged. "you guys are sick."

"we hear that a lot," wooyoung pouted, "you guys are just weird."

"why didn't you just kill me? you know kidnapping an officer isn't going to end well," hongjoong smirked, taunting the younger, "both of you are just buying a ticket straight to jail."

"that's what i told san," wooyoung complained, hands flailing everywhere, "but he wouldn't listen to me. messing with police is one thing but we've never messed with intel."

hongjoong froze. 

wooyoung, who noticed the sudden silence, smirked, "what? did you think san didn't know? did you think we didn't know?" wooyoung laughed almost mockingly, wiping away invisible tears, "oh darling, all of us knew. we also know of your little partner, Jeong Yunho, was it?", he scratched his head, "maybe he'll be the next one after you."

us?

hongjoong scowled, clenching his fists. "so what if you knew? the police will be here any minute now," he pulled out the phone, smirking, "goodbye, quinn."

wooyoung's eyes widened, an almost inaudible 'fuck' leaving his lips. before he had any chance to do anything, hongjoong had pounced on him, kicking away his bat. "you're nothing without your weapons, jung wooyoung," hongjoong scowled, punching him in the face, once, twice, thrice.

he counted seven whole punches until the latter passed out, blood trailing down his nose, eyes rolled back. collpasing, hongjoong heaved, trying to catch his breath. 

the door flew open again, this time multiple steps, around four people. 

"fuck, joong, you okay?" yunho trudged towards him. hongjoong waved him off, pointing to the passed out male beside him, "i'm fine. take care of him. we need to catch choi san. he's joker."

"are you really fine?" yunho questioned again, chocolate orbs drowning with nothing short of utter worry. hongjoong sighed, "i'm fine, yunho, really."

"then that's not good," yunho frowned. 

"excuse me?" 

"then that's not good." yunho repeated, "you're not supposed to be fine. and san is sure as hell not going to be happy about you beating up his boyfriend over there."

"holy shit he really did a number on wooyoung," mingi laughed, putting away his police hat, "san is going to kill him."

"wooyoung is really annoying when he gets treated," jongho grumbled picking wooyoung up, "fuck me."

hongjoong gaped, his mind not processing exactly what the hell is happening.

"you still don't understand, chief?" yeosang piped in. "even seonghwa didn't take that long to put one and one together."

"he didn't take that long to die, either," mingi joked.

when things finally clicked, hongjoong mentally screamed. 'm-mint, you're in on this too?" yunho shrugged, straightening his uniform. "h-how could you betray us like that? you're intel, jeong yunho, for god's sake."

"i never betrayed you guys, we were never on the same side from the start, joong." yunho stared down at the older, gaze hard. who was this? this wasn't the jeong yunho hongjoong knew. this wasn't his bestfriend back in police academy. this jeong yunho was nothing but a mere stranger to him. "you're _naive_ , kim hongjoong."

"sorry for this but we need you knocked out," mingi chimed from behind him. hongjoong felt a blow on his head and a gasp escaping his mouth involuntarily before the familiar colour of black draped over his vision, the abyss claiming him back temporarily.


	4. action

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the last chapter! tbh i was about to drop this fix because i really couldn't write a torture scene??? it was so stressful but i finished it anyways. i hope it's not THAT bad. 
> 
> tw implied torture (just really light)

hongjoong could hear a loud crack from the blow, san's fist meeting his nose for the third time as he stared down on him with an unreadable gaze.

"you." punch. "dare." punch. "hurt." another one. "my." and another one. "wooyoung?" a stronger one.

san grabbed his blue strands, forcing him to look up, "rule number one, no one touches my belongings, chief." he hissed, slapping the older hard, the sound ringing throughout the small room.

hongjoong couldn't feel his face, blood trickling down his nose and his split lips. spitting the blood out, he chuckled, "is that all you got, psycho? you're not as great as they say afterall."

he didn't know where his fear of death went, a new found confidence wafting around him. if he was going to die he might as well die like a man. hongjoong didn't want to admit it but he feels like he's even more of a madman than the male in front of him.

san smirked, "oh how cute, you're taunting me." 

picking up the knife he brought with him, he played with it, tracing it all over hongjoong's tied body. he pressed slightly when it reached his neck, cutting open the flesh- just enough for a slight sting. "i'd kill you right here and right now but that wouldn't be fun, would it?"

san fished out his phone, showing hongjoong something on the screen. hongjoong paled, the familiar picture of his little sister on her first day of high school greeting him. "didn't know you had a sister. she's cute."

how? he was sure he hid heejin well just in case something like this happened  
hell, even intel didn't know of his little sister. she was wiped from hongjoong's entire biography for her own safety. so how, exactly did this motherfucker find her?

hongjoong growled, "don't you fucking touch her." san giggled, "you don't intimidate me, kim. what are you going to do tied up anyways? you can't even touch me."

hongjoong thrashed around, vision red, as he tried to free himself. 

"maybe i'll gouge her eyes out, they're really big and pretty! ooh, maybe i'll cut her tongue off, or... her ears!" san clapped, eyes sparkling almost sickly as his whole body trembled in excitement.

hongjoong fell limp at his words, hands shaking both from the rope burns and the frustration of not being able to do anything. biting his bottom lip, he threw away any pride he had left and begged.

"don't touch her, please." hongjoong cried out, "she's innocent. do anything to me but please, for the love of god, not her."

san fell silent, his face unreadable as he brought his finger to his lips, fake thinking, "anything?"

hongjoong nodded vigorously, eyes pleading. san grinned, asking him to wait as he rushed upstairs, returning with the rest of the team, who weren't in their uniform anymore, and wooyoung.

wooyoung giggled, pointing at hongjoong, and then himself, "now we match!" yeosang sighed, "that's not something to be happy about."

"wooyoung's a total M, confirmed," jongho joked, the group chorusing in laughter and fake gagging when san chimed in with a "i can testify for that."

san walked behind him, cutting the ropes, setting hongjoong wrists free.

pushing the knife he had been using into the older's grip, he hummed, "stab yourself."

"w-what?" "you said you'd do anything- unless you want your little sis-" "I'LL DO IT." hongjoong cut off, hands shaky as he brought it to his chest.

in a split second, he flung the blade towards san, stabbing his arm as someone pounced on him, halting his movements.

san groaned, clutching his arm. jongho kicked away the blade from hongjoong's grip, and then stepped on his right wrist, crushing it as he screamed.

"told you he'd do that," yeosang pumped his fists, "you owe me fifty bucks, mingi."

wooyoung rushed towards san, worry evident in his expression as san smiled softly. "i'm fine, woo. just a little scratch."

wooyoung wasn't convinced. he peeled his lover's hands away, a huge gash meeting him as blood flowed out almost endlessly. biting his bottom lip, he whimpered, pressing san's hand back on the wound as if to halt the bleeding.

growling, he turned back to hongjoong who was now sprawled on the floor, the chair in pieces due to the previous scuffle. pulling out his own knife- a present from san which he treasure really dearly- he plunged it into hongjoong's left palm without any hesitation, emitting a strained yell from the male beneath him.

with wooyoung repeating the action again, hongjoong was sure his voice was long gone now. his throat felt raw from all the screaming and he couldn't feel his body.

"woo, calm down." san snaked his right hand around wooyoung's hip, pulling him away from hongjoong, kissing the back of his neck.

"kind of knew you would do that," he hissed, glaring at hongjoong, "but it still hurt like a bitch." 

"bold of you to think i care," hongjoong spat, leaning his head back.

"oh, i think you'd care when you see this," san chuckled, flashing the screen of his phone to hongjoong. jongho pulled his head up so he could see, colour draining from his face when he finally registered the picture.

"y-you," he stuttered, eyes shaking. san grinned, licking his lips. fishing a small box out of his pocket, he threw it to hongjoong, "thought you'd like a souvenir."

with the little energy he had left, his right hand fumbled with it, finally managing to open it and the content made his stomach flip. he refused to believe it belonged to his little sister- the pale flesh of a tongue nuzzled into the velvety confinements of the box.

"it's made in heejin, better keep it properly," san whistled, raking his hair.

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU," hongjoong screamed as he forced himself to stand- which failed by how strong jongho's grip on his shoulders were, keeping him on his knees.

"mingi." san called out. the said male, who understood almost immediately, rushed upstairs and returned with a mirror.

"yeo-" "yeah i have it here already," yeosang cut off, patting his camera which hung snugly around his neck.

"no, i'll do it tonight," san smiled softly at the way the older's eyes sparkled, "you can go play. my arm hurts like shit anyways."

"yunnie." yunho nodded, unzipping the duffle bag he had brought in. rows of tools were in it, ranging from sewing needles to rusty hammers. rummaging out a 

hongjoong stared in horror, realising that he was, indeed, fucked.

"jongho, be a sweet pea and hold him still?" san sing-songed at the younger who just rolled his eyes, "as if i'm not doing that already."

pulling away from wooyoung, san took the camera from yeosang. the latter excitedly handing the device to san before pecking his cheek and rushing over beside wooyoung, eyes flashing with excitement, "i call dibs on his eyes."

"three," san counted down, the boys immediately crowding over hongjoong, expressions varying from hard and expressionless to crazy, yeosang and wooyoung more of the latter.

"two." 

"father of all, we pray to you. may his soul, through the mercy of god, rest in peace." Mingi prayed.

"one."

"amen." the group chorused, wicked grins painted on each of their faces. hongjoong was sure he would never be able to wipe off this terrifying scene from his mind- he was sure he wouldn't even in the afterlife- his eyes bulging out as a tear made its way out of his left eye, his voice no longer found.

the last thing he could process was the blinking red light from the camera and choi san behind it, smiling at him so gently- so kindly, mouthing a word to him. 

hongjoong couldn't make out what he was saying, sharp pain hitting him from everywhere around his body.

when he could no longer taste the metallic taste of blood, no longer wriggle his fingers, and no longer breathe- his vision ripped off unwillingly as the whole world turned dark, this time permanently, his mind replayed the scene, though quite blurry.

he saw san, with that smile of his, mouthing something to him. mentally squinting, he finally realised what he had said, taking in his last breath.

'amen.'

"nice to meet all of you," a man who seemed to be in his mid twenties, handsome blonde hair framing his doe-like features, smiled at the team, dimples forming on his cheeks, tipping his police cap, "i'm bang chan, you can call me chris or chan, i don't really mind. i'll be taking over officer kim hongjoong from today on."

"glad to have you here," san smiled widely, almost too wide, "we've been quite in a hard situation after his resignation. i'm choi san, head of the team."

"thank you, san. a pity if i say so myself. hongjoong was an outstanding police, top of the class back when we were in academy. i wonder how he's doing now, after resigning and all." san simply hummed at the statement, biting back a smile.

the rest of the team introduced themselves shortly, returning to their cubicles afterwards. 

san led chan to his new office, closing the door behind them. grinning, he laid some files on the desk, arranging them neatly. with a clap, he started,

"so, these are what we're working on, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and there it is! thank you for reading <3 sorry for the abrupt ending (again)


End file.
